OAKLEY, Calif. – Steve Greene of LeGrand, Calif., topped 82 Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League competitors Saturday on the California Delta with five bass weighing 17 pounds, 1 ounce. The catch earned him $2,709 and 200 points in the Boater Division.
Greene, who also earned a $1,000 bonus from Ranger Boats as the highest finishing participant in the Ranger Cup incentive program, caught his limit while fishing weed lines. The catch topped second-place boater Tom Wardrope of Dublin, Calif., by 15 ounces. Wardrope finished the one-day tournament with a five-bass catch weighing 16 pounds, 2 ounces worth $1,354.
Homer Clark of Woodland, Calif. (five bass, 14 pounds, 15 ounces, $813); David Gliebe of Stockton, Calif. (five bass, 14 pounds, 3 ounces, $623); and Steve Hayashi of Tracy, Calif., (five bass, 14 pounds, 3 ounces, $623) rounded out the top five boaters.
Scott Mascadri of Sacramento, Calif., earned boater big bass honors and $410 with a 7-pound bass. He finished in 8th place overall with five bass weighing 13 pounds, 13 ounces.
Pat Wilson of Petaluma, Calif., claimed first place and $1,354 in the 82-competitor Co-angler Division with five bass weighing 16 pounds, 14 ounces. He surpassed second-place co-angler Dan Powers of Weaverville, Calif., by 3 pounds, 7 ounces. Powers finished with a five-bass catch weighing 13 pounds, 7 ounces worth $677.
Michael Shreeve of Antioch, Calif. (five bass, 12 pounds, 9 ounces, $406); Matt Larson of Clovis, Calif. (five bass, 12 pounds, 1 ounce, $325); and Marc Hinton of Fremont, Calif., (five bass, 11 pounds, 15 ounces, $298) rounded out the top five co-anglers.
Wilson earned big bass honors and $205 in his division with a 6-pound, 3-ounce bass.
Overall, 73 five-bass limits were caught during the tournament.
The Wal-Mart BFL will visit Lake Shasta May 18 for the fourth of five Western Division events. The boater with the most points after the division’s season finale, a two-day Super Tournament Oct. 12-13 on Clear Lake, will be declared the Yamaha “Be the Best” Points Leader and awarded $1,000. The co-angler amassing the most points by the end of the season will receive $500.
The top 30 Western Division boaters and co-anglers will advance to regional competition Nov. 12-16 on Lake Havasu near Lake Havasu City, Ariz., where they will go up against top competitors from the Colorado River division for a shot at qualifying for the Wal-Mart BFL All-American – one of the most lucrative post-season tournaments in competitive angling.
2002 BFL awards could reach $7 million based on full fields.